2. a 237 g piece of molybdenum, initially at 100.0 °c, was dropped into 244 g of
water at 10.0°c. when the system came to thermal equilibrium, the temperature
was 15.3°c. what is the specific heat capacity of molybdenum? the specific heat
capacity of water is 4.184 j/g. k. (2.5 points)

Explanation:

1. Energy balance

By the first law of thermodynamics, considering the system is closed and isolated, the heat released by the 237 g piece of molybdenum equals the heat absorbed by the 244 g of water.

2. Heat equation

The heat released or absorbed by a substance is proportional to the product of the mass, the specific heat and the change in temperature

3. Heat released by the 237 g piece of molybdenum

At equilibrium:

4. Heat absorbed by the 244 g of water

At equilibrium:

5. Solve for C from Q₁ = Q₂

The result must be reported with 3 significant figures: C = 0.270 J/gºC.